Cruising the Malacca Strait

The Malacca Strait is the body of water between the west coast of Malaysia and Indonesian Sumatra, and it connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A very busy waterway 560 miles long, it is one of Asia’s primary sea routes, with almost 100,000 vessels passing through each year. Read on for our experience cruising the Malacca Strait. Malacca is pronounced Muh-LAK-uh.

Post Puteri Harbour Anchorages

A few days after returning from Kuala Lumpur, we untied our lines and left the Puteri Harbour dock. We day sailed for the first two days, stopping at the small islands of Pesang and then Besar. I don’t remember much about either, so they must have been peaceful and boring, which is good.

Sunset on the Malacca Strait, Malaysia
Sunset at anchor at Palau Pisang, Malaysia
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Kalimantan Indonesia

One of the wildest places we’ve visited in our 7+ years living on a sailboat is Kalimantan Indonesia. With jungles and rivers and lots of wild animals, Indonesian Borneo is an incredible part of the world! We spent a few days anchored, and a few days on a riverboat tour to the Tanjung Puting National Park, one of the few places to see orangutans in the wild.

About Kalimantan Indonesia

Indonesia shares the island of Borneo with Brunei and Malaysia, and Indonesia’s portion, 73% of the area, is called Kalimantan. We visited Central Kalimantan, sailing up the Kumai River 25nm from the Java Sea to the town of Kumai. We anchored there for its proximity to the Tanjung Puting National Park, one of the best places to see Indonesian orangutans.

Male Bornean Orangutan
A male Bornean orangutan

Getting to Kalimantan

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Great Ocean Road Trip

While waiting for insurance to approve our repairs in Port Macquarie, we took another Australian adventure. Choosing from beautiful Australia’s many amazing places to explore is hard, but this time we flew to Melbourne and drove to Adelaide. Of course, we chose the scenic route and took a Great Ocean road trip. It was a great choice and one of our favorite road trips ever.

The Great Ocean Road

Built by veterans of The Great War (WWI, 1914-1918), Australia’s iconic coastal drive covers 243 kilometers, all in the state of Victoria. Thanks to its stunning scenery along the Southern Ocean, the Great Ocean Road trip is one of the world’s most popular drives, loved by Aussies and visitors both.

The Grotto archway
Archway at The Grotto, an iconic landmark along The Great Ocean Road

The winding road climbs up cliffs and down to beaches, following the Victoria coastline from Torquay in the east to Allansford in the west. We spent a wonderful day and a half enjoying one of the world’s best road trips. Fortunately, we had perfect weather, sunny and mild temperatures, and the road itself is in great condition, making it easy to drive.

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